Rhesus macaque in faux-shearling coat spawns Twitter sensation

December 11, 2012

Darwin, the monkey spotted Sunday outside a Toronto IKEA, is seen Monday in the custody of the city's Animal Services department. (HANDOUT, Reuters Photo)

He's being satirized on Twitter with the handle @IKEAmonkey, and he's fast becoming a meme star. Twitter users were having a blast Monday morning with the tiny monkey that surprised shoppers at a Toronto Ikea:

"Report: Lawyers are working to free #ikeamonkey. They're working pro bonobo."

According to the Toronto Star, the 5-month-old monkey, dressed in a faux-shearling coat and diaper, was sighted in a parking garage of the Ikea on Sunday afternoon. Witnesses told the Star that the monkey — "smaller than a cat" — was dashing around, screaming and agitated.

The rhesus macaque reportedly had escaped his owner's car. He was captured by Toronto Animal Services personnel. According to the Star, the owner of the primate turned himself in to Animal Services and was charged with owning a prohibited animal, an offense that carries a $200 fine.

The monkey was removed from its owner's care as the agency sought a sanctuary for the animal, which was not very pleased with his change in circumstance, according to the Globe and Daily Mail in Toronto.

Mary Lou Leiher of Toronto Animal Services told the news outlet that chilly Canada was no place for the exotic pet.